Everything You Need To Know About Your Duty-free Shopping

There’s no better way to end a holiday, and use up the last of your holiday money, than heading straight for the duty-free airport shopping. When you leave Club MAC and Alcudia, you’ll be sure to want to snap up presents, treats and souvenirs at fantastic prices. But do you know the duty-free rules for bringing duty-free items back to the UK? At Club MAC, we’ve got you covered with a handy guide to ensuring that you have no trouble bringing home your duty-free treasures!

How much alcohol and tobacco can I bring home?

While it’s tempting to buy everything you see, it’s worth knowing what your allowances are. Under UK law, there’s no limit on the amount of alcohol or tobacco that you can bring home from an EU country, such as Majorca. While this is true, you are more likely to be stopped by a customs official if you exceed a specific amount though. To help avoid this, here’s a list of the standard allowance limits for travelling into the UK:

110 litres of beer

90 litres of wine

10 litres of spirit

20 litres of fortified wine

800 cigarettes

200 cigars

1kg of tobacco

400 cigarillos

What are classed as banned goods?

There are some items that cannot be brought back from your holiday, as they are banned in the UK. These include offensive weapons, rough diamonds, self-defense sprays and endangered plant and animal species. It is also worth remembering that some goods are restricted, such as fireworks. You will need a special license to bring these into the country.

Bringing goods home

It is important to know that you must transport your duty-free purchases yourself. As Majorca and the UK are (for now) EU territories, you don’t have to pay tax or duty when bringing your purchases home. This is only true under the provision that you carry them in your suitcase or hand luggage and that they are meant for you or as a gift.

Customs checks

While at either Palma or a UK airport, you may meet a customs officer who will ask you about your goods. If they believe that you’re planning to sell the goods back in the UK or you have gone above the standard allowance (shown above), they may ask you the following questions:

How often do you travel?

How often do you smoke or drink?

How many goods have you brought with you?

Why did you buy these goods?

How did you pay for these goods?

This is a routine check and if you follow our guidelines in this article, you should be okay. If you are found to be breaking any of these allowances, you will have to pay duty on your items. This is purely a guide for travelling inside the EU, so it is worth bearing in mind that this changes for different locations. By familiarizing yourself with these guidelines, you can be confident in your purchases. You’ll be able to enjoy all Club MAC has to offer and treat yourself with great value shopping when it’s time to head home.